Long Time Between Gigs

They haven't played much recently, a three song set at the Arc a couple of years ago (when I missed the first song), a proper gig before I moved to Dunedin. Of course, their various components have been busy - I've seen Robert Scott in various incarnations, had a drink with his sister, have seen David Kilgour do solo shows and shows with the Heavy 8's, not really sure I've seen Hamish Kilgour do anything.

But still I dithered over going to see the Clean at the Penguin Club - "its a school night", "I haven't eaten", "I have to be ready for tomorrow", "will they have tickets", "is it really tonight that it's on?" and "surely I can see them in the Regent on Friday". But all in about the space of about two minutes, my work was complete, my desire for a seated 30 minute set went out the window, and I was out to my car and off to Oamaru.

The guy at the door was all "we never turn anyone away" - helpful to know if you have a party of 900 with nowhere to go. I was just one, so slipped in and up to the front. Some old dude was playing, he seemed a bit funny, a bit of a lack of continuity in his singing. But I started to listen, and liked what I heard. I noticed a piece of paper on a music stand - this was Bill Direen. Funny coincidence - just the night before, I'd seen him on utube, from 20 years ago.

And then the Clean came on, and they were fantastic. None of this 30 minute set for them - I was a bit confused by the Oamaru clock, but I think they played for a couple of hours, including two encores. Lots of fun for band and audience alike. Hamish was wearing a pirate hat picked up on the road trip up from Dunedin - they all seemed to think it was talk like a pirate day for a while but that didn't last, thankfully. No Beatniks, but most of their other familiar songs, plus a few I didn't really recognise and one they claimed was so new, it had no name. Towards the end of their first encore, it was time for Tally Ho: only then did memories of an earlier gig seep into my consciousness, a gig in Auckland, probably in the Gluepot, maybe in the Powerstation.